The State of Star Trek Literature

[chelly]

A little earlier than last year, a little later than the year before. I really haven't posted much lately or even kept up on the threads, but I don't think anything similar has been posted lately.

This year's thread should be interesting given all the changes.

1. How do you feel the Trek book line has done in the last 12-15 months?

I think it has been doing good, I know I have bought more books. Also with the new stories I think it will get better.

2. What specifically have you liked in regards to the entire Trek book line in that time? Any favorite novels?

I have liked the new Voyager relaunch and what the writers have done with TNG and Titan. I don't think I have an favorite novel but I did enjoy alot of the books that have come out in the past year. I have to say I have also started reading the New Frontier books and have been reading the SCE books.


3. And what specifically have you disliked in regards to the Trek book line of the last year or so? Any bad or disappointing novels?

I don't think I have been disappointed all that much. Though there are a couple of books that won't be read as much as others. (repeated readings).


4. Any new recurring trends or themes in the last 12 months have you noticed? Anything you've liked or disliked about them?

I have to go with the death and distruction being a bit much.

5. What editorial decisions and changes from the last 12-15 months have you like or disliked?



6. What changes would you like to see in the Trek book line? Be it production choices or story editorial decisions?

I would like to see many of the characters (not just the main ones) we have known over the years and dealing with the borg aftermath. I liked seeing some of the TNG and VOY members interacting with their families. I would like to see some of that again.

Enjoy!

Oh I want to comment on the SW vs ST novels. I do read both series but I have to say that the ST novels are better.

 

[DimesDan]

Why are so many people commenting on Before Dishonour, that was out two and a half years ago, the scope of the questions barely covers Destiny as that was first out in October 2008.

 

[JD]

I wouldn't mind a standalone. Now that I think about it, Troublesome Minds was one of my favorite books this past year.

Inception, Unspoken Truth, and The Children of Kings are all standalone.

 

[pookha]

is there some type of article you can cite for the above.

Gosh, I dunno. Tens of "Starlog" articles, but I'm not going down to the garage to dig up page and issue numbers.

I've lived through all this, as have many SW and ST original fans. If you didn't live through it, just play with the production dates for TOS, TAS, "A New Hope", TMP and TOS going into prime time syndication.

i lived through it too and at least around here star wars didnt appeal primarily to children.

 

[Therin of Andor]

i lived through it too and at least around here star wars didnt appeal primarily to children.

I'm an elementary teacher and school librarian. Have been in schools as a teacher since 1977. Children usually only have an awareness of Star Trek if it's running in prime time TV or has a new movie in general release (or if their parents are avid Star Trek Club members). On the other hand, every child I teach knows exactly who is who, and what is what, with the six "Star Wars" movies or, at the very least, the current generation knows the last three (Episodes 1-3).

Now, that's the situation in Sydney, Australia, but I'd be very surprised to learn that this city was the only place in the world that has this scenario.

Both SW and ST fandoms have many adult fans, but it's SW that wins in the kid stakes.

 

[Christopher]

^Which is not surprising, since Star Trek was intended from the start to be an adult drama, an exception to the kid-oriented stuff that dominated non-anthology genre television of the day, whereas Star Wars was intended from the start to be an homage to the kid-oriented Saturday matinee serials of the '40s and '50s.

 

[cml898]

1. How do you feel the Trek book line has done in the last 12-15 months?

Generally good. Not quite as excited about some of the stories as some past years, but I've been interested enough to read most of them.

2. What specifically have you liked in regards to the entire Trek book line in that time? Any favorite novels?

I know some dislike the interconnectedness of everything, but I love it and am glad to see it still going. The DS9 saga has long been my favorite to follow, and Destiny and it's aftermath were great, but the strongest stories in Recent novels are Vanguard, Enterprise and Voyager, which is ironic in the later 2 because they were my least favorite of the TV series. I applaud the authors for making my personal worst of Trek into something interesting.

3. And what specifically have you disliked in regards to the Trek book line of the last year or so? Any bad or disappointing novels?

Nothing I can think of. I haven't disliked a Trek novel since "Before Dishonor."

4. Any new recurring trends or themes in the last 12 months have you noticed? Anything you've liked or disliked about them?

Nothing to say about this.

5. What editorial decisions and changes from the last 12-15 months have you like or disliked?

The whole editor situation upset me, especially Marco. Nothing against Margaret, it's just that Marco was overseeing most of the stories I'm most interested. I pray that the stories I'm most invested in are allowed to continue without their influence.

6. What changes would you like to see in the Trek book line? Be it production choices or story editorial decisions?

Less focus on a single series so everything gets touched upon in a years time. Unless it's a special anniversary, there is no reason for most of a year to be focused on a particular era.

 

[TheAlmanac]

^Which is not surprising, since Star Trek was intended from the start to be an adult drama, an exception to the kid-oriented stuff that dominated non-anthology genre television of the day, whereas Star Wars was intended from the start to be an homage to the kid-oriented Saturday matinee serials of the '40s and '50s.

Does any of that really change Steve Roby's original point that Star Wars occupies more bookstore shelf space because the franchise is simply more popular?

My instinct would say that Star Trek readers might skew older, but I'm not so sure about that now. It could be like the stereotype of the 14-year-old boy who plays video games, where the actual average gamer is now 35 and 40% of regular gamers are women--Star Wars fans have had twenty years to follow the Expanded Universe as it exists today, so are they really going to be that much younger?

The Post-ROTJ titles, in particular, are probably bought by a rather similar demographic to, say, the Post-Nemesis Star Trek titles--and almost certainly by adults as opposed to children.

Then again, this is just my intuition of the market...without an actual demographic breakdown, there's no way to really be sure.

 

[DimesDan]

The Post-ROTJ titles, in particular, are probably bought by a rather similar demographic to, say, the Post-Nemesis Star Trek titles--and almost certainly by adults as opposed to children.

I'm in my mid/late twenties and I buy both, all of my Star Wars Novels are post Jedi and the vast majority of my Star Trek ones are post finale for both Deep Space Nine and Voyager and A Time to series and forward for The Next Generation. and I only have a smattering of titles from the earlier time frames.

 

[Christopher]

^Which is not surprising, since Star Trek was intended from the start to be an adult drama, an exception to the kid-oriented stuff that dominated non-anthology genre television of the day, whereas Star Wars was intended from the start to be an homage to the kid-oriented Saturday matinee serials of the '40s and '50s.

Does any of that really change Steve Roby's original point that Star Wars occupies more bookstore shelf space because the franchise is simply more popular?

I was not addressing that point. I was addressing the specific comment I responded to.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Does any of that really change Steve Roby's original point that Star Wars occupies more bookstore shelf space because the franchise is simply more popular?

It is more popular.

My original point was that new, young fans are seemingly being fed into the SW fanbase all the time, through re-releases of the movies and the continued presence of SW toys, still aimed squarely at children. Whereas ST seemingly hasn't been able to do this to the same extent since the days of 70s TOS syndication and the Saturday morning airings of TAS. The Art Asylum/Diamond Direct ST figurines are aimed at adult collectors.

The fanbase for ST was aging and diminishing (until JJ), while the SW fanbase has stayed broader and is continually being replenished.

 

[DarKush]

I think Therin's made some good observations. Though I'm not so sure how secure the new 'fanbase' created by JJ's movie is, because CBS-Paramount has not done a good job of keeping interest alive with a multimedia project that could include stuff like more toys, video games based on nuTrek, a cartoon, a TV series, nuTrek comics, nuTrek novels, and other merchandise. At the time the movie came out I was surprised to see Trek toys at my local Target. It was the first time I had seen Trek toys available for the people to buy without having to good through extra hoops, which the casual fan probably wouldn't do. That was a step in the right direction, but I think TPTB haven't done a good job of follow up.

While the nuTrek film was popular, it was just one popular film and is already a year old. There have been a crop of popular films that have come out since and might be the flavor of the month but have no long legs in terms of generating new fans, which is what I think Trek needs to do. SW has done a much better job at that, creating product that can appeal to a broad swath of its older and younger fans.

Though SW I think is more kid-friendly than Trek has been, that doesn't mean that Trek can't adapt. The young adult novels I've heard about our a step in the right direction.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I think Therin's made some good observations. Though I'm not so sure how secure the new 'fanbase' created by JJ's movie is

By my observation, JJ's film still managed not to draw in little kids the way that SW films did. It certainly helped to skew the average age of a ST fan back down again, just not young enough to support massive sales on child-related toys.

But if the increased numbers of the sequels to "Pirates of the Caribbean", "The Lord of the Rings", "Harry Potter", "Spiderman", "Batman Begins", "Iron Man", etc., is anything to go by, I think JJ's sequel is on track to do much bigger numbers.

CBS-Paramount has not done a good job of keeping interest alive with a multimedia project that could include stuff like more toys, video games based on nuTrek, a cartoon, a TV series, nuTrek comics, nuTrek novels, and other merchandise.

The two Playmates ranges based on JJ's movie needed the Wave 2 top-ups of action figures to be scheduled much earlier, but the retailers were simply not interested, and the waves were dumped, leaving Playmates license in limbo.

However, interest in the film has been kept "alive". The DVD release (each of the SW films had to wait much longer for a commercial home entertainment version to become available) and there has certainly been no shortage of IDW tie-in comics: "Countdown", "Spock Reflections", "Nero" and a movie adaptation mini-series, plus trade omnibuses of each of these.

ST novels aren't aimed at kids anyway, but two "young adult" novels (November) will be out long before the next sequel movie. The JJ franchise is only one film young yet. Way too early to launch an animated series based upon it.

That was a step in the right direction, but I think TPTB haven't done a good job of follow up.

What were they supposed to do? Offer the lines to Target for free? The big retailers refused to support the proposed Wave 2 figures, so sales must have been below the stores' expectations.

Though SW I think is more kid-friendly than Trek has been, that doesn't mean that Trek can't adapt. The young adult novels I've heard about our a step in the right direction.

I'm not sure having very young fans is essential to success, but having a continuing flow of new fans (of any age) entering the fanbase is what kept ST afloat through the syndicated TOS days, with the audience growing expotentially. The same happened with TNG. After "First Contact", ST had reached a pinnacle, and the drift to other franchises began.

 

[Hamilton]

1. How do you feel the Trek book line has done in the last 12-15 months?

There's been pretty good quality all around. I haven't been in love with all of the books, but I've enjoyed them or had really strong opinions on them.

2. What specifically have you liked in regards to the entire Trek book line in that time? Any favorite novels?

The Destiny followups were great! I want more, and I really can't wait for the Typhon Pact novels.

3. And what specifically have you disliked in regards to the Trek book line of the last year or so? Any bad or disappointing novels?

Over a Torrent Sea. I just couldn't get into that one. I liked the concept of the book and the planet, but the characters did things that I felt was OOC for them. Also, the Lavena/Riker thing... it really pissed me off. I was actually surprised I didn't like this book, as I've enjoyed Mr. Bennett's other ST work. I couldn't put down Orion's Hounds or The Buried Age... they grabbed me from start to finish.
I will say that even though I didn't care for this one, the fact that he was able to get such a reaction out of me, even though it was negative, is a good thing. I believe it's better to get some kind of reaction than nothing at all.

4. Any new recurring trends or themes in the last 12 months have you noticed? Anything you've liked or disliked about them?

I don't mind the genocide-chic. ST can't be all happy and shiny all the time, nor can it be 'oh, my god, everything sucks'. This trend has opened up new paths for the characters to take that are more adverse than what they might face otherwise.

5. What editorial decisions and changes from the last 12-15 months have you like or disliked?

Please stop getting rid of the editors. Please. It's hard to build up any kind of consistency if you have editors leaving and new ones replacing them.

6. What changes would you like to see in the Trek book line? Be it production choices or story editorial decisions?

I think the book schedule for this year was poorly done. The first schedule was too overloaded with TOS and nuTrek during the first half of the year. It should have been more evenly spread out. Then, once the nuTrek books were taken off the schedule, it made it hard to fill in the gaps. I wasn't super excited about the nuTrek books, but I did want to see what the authors did with the characters. Finally, the Typhon Pact series, which I've been waiting for ever since I finished ASD, were pushed back.

 

[DarKush]

I don't know anything about the behind-the-scenes stuff regarding the retailers refusing to accept the Trek toys, however I didn't just mention toys. I mentioned a variety of things that TPTB could do to keep interest alive and add to the continuing flow of new fans.

I agree that Trek isn't necessarily for 'kids', but that doesn't mean that Trek isn't big enough or has an interesting enough universe to make it more kid friendly. Cartoons and video games could go a long way towards that. Same with more of the manga, as opposed to only comic books. IDW's Trek line is well known among us, but I don't know how well known it is among other comic book readers. I agree that Trek should attempt to bring in new fans of all ages, but a focus on youth could make it easier to sell more toys, kid's clothing, etc.

I also agree that nuTrek didn't draw in kid fans like the SW prequels did, though the SW films were geared more to kids and the multimedia projects had more material for them to reinforce that appeal, in addition to stuff for older fans. I'm taking a stab that the Clone Wars cartoon and their video games will go a long way to securing a new base of younger fans for SW, in a way their novel line isn't.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I don't know anything about the behind-the-scenes stuff regarding the retailers refusing to accept the Trek toys, however I didn't just mention toys. I mentioned a variety of things that TPTB could do to keep interest alive and add to the continuing flow of new fans.

I agree that Trek isn't necessarily for 'kids', but that doesn't mean that Trek isn't big enough or has an interesting enough universe to make it more kid friendly. Cartoons and video games could go a long way towards that. Same with more of the manga, as opposed to only comic books. IDW's Trek line is well known among us, but I don't know how well known it is among other comic book readers. I agree that Trek should attempt to bring in new fans of all ages, but a focus on youth could make it easier to sell more toys, kid's clothing, etc.

I also agree that nuTrek didn't draw in kid fans like the SW prequels did, though the SW films were geared more to kids and the multimedia projects had more material for them to reinforce that appeal, in addition to stuff for older fans. I'm taking a stab that the Clone Wars cartoon and their video games will go a long way to securing a new base of younger fans for SW, in a way their novel line isn't.

Each of your product suggestions requires the participation of a licensor. CBS owns Star Trek, but they don't publish comics or manga -- and they don't manufacture toys or video games.

Take the manga, for example. Tokyopop supported that pretty well -- they issued annual volumes of Star Trek manga from 2006 - 2009. But they apparently didn't sell well enough for them to continue putting them out, so there apparently won't be a 2010 volume. Tokyopop decided they could make more money putting out some other book, so that's what they're doing.

Is this a failure by CBS/Paramount to "support" Star Trek? Not really; CBS found a licensor and got a pretty big commitment from them, but ultimately sales just didn't compel the licensor to continue putting out product.

I say this because you seems to be suggesting "they aren't really trying to sell Star Trek to a new generation of fans." And I think that's dead wrong. I think they've done an exceptional job over the past 4 or 5 years in getting new, innovative Star Trek merchandise out there. But sales haven't been as strong as we might have wanted, so the producers of that merchandise have elected to produce something else. Can you blame them?

Personally, I was really disappointed by the cancelation of the second wave of Playmates action figures from the new movie. But if the first wave didn't sell, then producing subsequent waves was just pouring good money after bad. It's disappointing, but it's real-life. Kids just didn't pester their folks to buy the figures, so they languished on store shelves before finally ending up in the bargain bins.

 

[DarKush]

Thanks for giving me more info about the behind-the-scenes/business stuff that CBS-P has been doing. It isn't as easy as I thought it would be, but there are some things that CBS-P could do, like create a cartoon that might then spawn off toys that licensors would want to license and stores would want to stock. I'm assuming that the manga wasn't based on nuTrek was it? I ask because I'm thinking that fans of the new film would be more inclined to buy product with the nuTrek characters and not a TOS-based series. Same with some of the novels. Perhaps CBS-P could take a look at the Lucasfilm business model and adapt it for Trek.

 

[Christopher]

I'm assuming that the manga wasn't based on nuTrek was it?

No, they weren't, because all four volumes came out before the new movie and the fourth was TNG.

I ask because I'm thinking that fans of the new film would be more inclined to buy product with the nuTrek characters and not a TOS-based series. Same with some of the novels.

I don't think most fans would care that much about the distinction. I mean, when a movie comes out based on a superhero comic, the comic doesn't abandon its original continuity in favor of using the movie continuity. And if there are tie-in novels released to capitalize on the movies' popularity, they're almost invariably set in the comics' continuity or some variant thereof rather than the movie continuity. This is partly because the original continuity offers much more material to draw on, and partly because it avoids stepping on the toes of whatever the filmmakers might want to do next. But it's also because most moviegoers and book-buyers just plain don't care what continuity a story is in. They couldn't care less whether Kirk entered the Academy in 2251 or 2255, or whether Spider-Man uses mechanical or organic webshooters. They just want to see entertaining stories about the characters they know and like.

 

[Therin of Andor]

there are some things that CBS-P could do, like create a cartoon that might then spawn off toys that licensors would want to license and stores would want to stock.

The two animated series "Droids" and "Ewoks" didn't come out until "Star Wars" Episodes 4, 5 and 6 had seen cinema release. Ditto the two "Ewoks" telemovies aimed at children. The new animated series, "The Clone Wars", didn't come out until "Star Wars" Episodes 1, 2 and 3 had seen cinema release.

I wouldn't expect to see any Star Trek animated series based on JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" until there's a trilogy of connected films out on DVD.

I'm assuming that the manga wasn't based on nuTrek was it? I ask because I'm thinking that fans of the new film would be more inclined to buy product with the nuTrek characters.

In that case the youngsters have "Countdown", "Nero", "Spock Reflections" and the movie adaptation mini-series. That's sixteen comics (only two issues not yet out) and four trade collections! Already!

Getting comic stores to stock and promote the IDW titles is beyond CBS/Paramount control.

 

[Judith Sisko]

To bring this back to the original six questions, I also hope the pulled JJ-verse novels eventually get to see the light of day.